Author Description

This book attempts to combine intellectual integrity with a lively writing style and aims to acquaint students with the entire range of sociological inquiry from classical to contemporary. This edition has been completely updated and now includes two new features: "Communist Societies in Transition", and "Sociology and the Media". Special features include extensive use of cross-cultural materials, making students more aware of social patterns and providing them with a sociological perspective in today's changing world and coverage of social changes in communist societies.